M 209

Side Story 3 Episode 12

==========

“You know, Big dad.”

“Yeah.”

“Since Little dad is, is being discharged. Big dad, and Little dad, and, uh, Hae-rim too…! All together, our whole family is going, right?”

“That’s right, we’re all going home together.”

“Uh-huh, home…, uh, really all going together…?”

“Of course, really.”

“Eung, good. Ah! Grandpa! What about Grandpa…?”

“He said he’ll come straight home later. For dinner.”

“Yes! Good!”

It was a question that had been repeated countless times over the past few days, but Ki Tae-jeong willingly and diligently answered the child. Having never been separated from Sehwa for so long, Hae-rim must have been quite anxious, even if he didn’t show it. Yet, the young son hadn’t whined even once. Even though he had a grandfather to take care of him, and his Big dad took time out to show his face every day, the fact that the three of them couldn’t live in the same house as before must have been quite stressful for him.

What could be so bothersome about giving the same answer a few times to such a brave and gentle son? It was a thought he’d had many times before, but Ki Tae-jeong actually wished Hae-rim would be a little more fussy or whiny. Like this time. He could have asked to video call his Little dad, or wanted to spend more time with his Big dad, or pestered his grandfather to do this and that…. Just like when Sehwa collapsed and he just held onto his seatbelt and trembled, the child always tried to act too grown-up, which was always a concern. He sometimes even had the pointless self-reproachful thought that perhaps the impact of the harsh treatment he received while the child was in Sehwa’s womb remained unconsciously.

“Right! dad, then, then will you not make candy anymore?”

“Well. If Little dad wants to eat it in the future, Big dad will keep making it.”

“Me too, me too!”

“Hae-rim wants to make it together too?”

“Eung! Yes! I want to do it together too!”

While Hae-rim was stamping his feet, the elevator stopped.

“Salute!”

As the doors opened, soldiers lined up in formation greeted Ki Tae-jeong and Lee Hae-rim. Hae-rim, glancing at his Big dad who was briefly returning the salute, realized it was his turn and straightened his neck and waist. Then, he vigorously shouted the salute slogan of the gifted education center student, bringing his hand to his forehead.

“Ad-vence!”

Ki Tae-jeong bit down hard on the inside of his cheek to avoid laughing at the child’s slightly slurred pronunciation. He usually pronounced it clearly because he had practiced the salute slogan so much, but he must have frozen up a bit at the thought that Little dad’s hospital room was coming up soon.

“At ease.”

Fortunately, the soldiers had the sense not to laugh and seriously accepted the young student’s salute. Even so, Hae-rim dropped his hand and sighed heavily.

“Why, Hae-rim?”

“I messed up… I spoke like a baby, but I’m not a baby….”

“It’s okay, you did well.”

“Heeing….”

“And everyone was so nervous because Big dad came that they probably didn’t hear it. See, no one’s laughing.”

The child, who had been pouting his lips like a bird’s beak, tilted his head as if to say, is that so? The powerless soldiers were desperately maintaining a straight face, stuffing the flesh inside their cheeks between their teeth.

“Reawwy…?”

“Of course. Really.”

The pretty child, who looked just like his little dad, raised his salute with his tiny hands and was sulking because he spoke like a baby. The facial muscles of the soldiers looking at Hae-rim were melting away. If Ki Tae-jeong hadn’t been there, they might have groaned in adoration with strange nasal sounds.

“Ahemm, Captain Na.”

Ki Tae-jeong cleared his throat a couple of times and deliberately changed the subject to divert the attention of his subordinates. It wasn’t his business that these bastards were dying trying not to laugh, but it would be a disaster if Hae-rim was hurt.

“Ah, yes. All medical staff are waiting inside.”

“Tell them to come out for a moment. I’ll call them back after my wife and child have said their greeting.”

“Yes.”

Hae-rim, realizing that the moment to meet his Little dad was just around the corner, forgot all about his babyish behavior and just fidgeted with his fingers.

“But… dad.”

“Yeah?”

“What if Little dad… forgot me…?”

“No way. Little dad wrote a lot of letters to Hae-rim, didn’t he?”

“Still….”

“Don’t worry, he didn’t forget. He talked about Hae-rim so much to Big dad too.”

“Eung….”

“Little dad was very sick, so give him a big hug and tell him he did a good job. Got it?”

“Yes…!”

“You brought all the cards for Little dad, right?”

“Eung, they’re in my bag. Seven of them!”

It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered video calls with Hae-rim during his hospitalization, but Sehwa refused, saying that the child might be surprised to see his too gaunt appearance. Considering that Hae-rim was terrified when he heard Little dad’s voice, which was clearly showing signs of illness, even when he briefly asked how he was doing on the phone, it was something that could very well happen.

So Sehwa kept writing letters to Hae-rim. He was upset and sorry that he couldn’t even show his face or let him hear his voice, so he carefully poured his love onto the paper whenever his strength allowed. And Ki Tae-jeong silently offered his back each time.

‘Are you done writing? Big dad will give it to Little dad.’

Of course, the kind son, who resembled Lee Sehwa, also wrote back to his Little dad with care. He even made incredibly fancy cards by sticking on all his favorite stickers and scribbling something.

‘No, I… Hae-rim will give them.’

While putting in so much effort to make as many as seven cards, the child shook his head every time at the suggestion that Big dad would take them instead.

‘You wrote so many?’

‘Eung… But I want to give them to Little dad di-rectly…’

Perhaps he was imagining the moment he would hand over the cards he made to his Little dad. Hae-rim’s white cheeks, like glutinous rice cakes, were twitching incessantly. It was a far cry from when he first started writing the cards, when he just fiddled with the end of the paper with a face trying to hold back tears.

“Big dad, this… should I take it out now? Little dad’s card….”

“Hmm. It might get crumpled, so how about taking it out inside? I think he’ll like it even more if you show it in front of Little dad.”

“Right! Yes.”

“Lieutenant General.”

Captain Na, who came out in front of the hospital room, and the entire task force bowed. As Captain Na glanced at Hae-rim, a warm smile spread across his face, and the faces of the medical staff, who were meeting the young master who looked surprisingly like his little dad for the first time, were filled with small admiration.

And looking at them, Ki Tae-jeong belatedly breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing the medical staff who weren’t frightened even after seeing him, he finally realized that Lee Sehwa was okay.

“Have you arrived.”

“Can I go in right now? How’s Sehwa’s condition?”

“Uh…. dad, Big dad…”

Hae-rim suddenly grabbed Ki Tae-jeong’s pants and shook them slightly. He never interrupted when adults were talking, so Ki Tae-jeong wondered if he wanted to go to the bathroom, but he mouthed ‘Salute, salute!’ He teaches them that when they are wearing their education center uniform, they must salute when they meet soldiers. Moreover, he had even made a slight mistake a little while ago, so Hae-rim seemed to want to shout the slogan perfectly this time.

“Ah, sorry. Hae-rim, you can salute.”

“Now? Is it okay…?”

“Yeah.”

Hae-rim took a deep breath and succeeded in shouting the salute slogan ‘Ad-vance!’ this time with clear pronunciation.

“At ease.”